Classic (1998): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1998, Classic is an action, drama and crime film directed by Georgiy Shengeliya, running about 100 minutes. “All our life... game!!!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. In Russia, there has long been a society of billiards, whose members are scattered throughout the country. Many of them have long become millionaires. And they should thank the old school teachers for this. Most of these old people live starving and lonely. In order to somehow brighten up their old age, the new generation of billiards decided to chip in and give their teachers a big mansion, where there will be decent food, good medical care and fresh air. No one refused his share of the contribution, except for an authority by the name of Savitsky. Soon, he completely changes his mind and organizes an ambush on the road, takes away not only his own money, but also his total money. The barely surviving couriers report this to all members of the community. The group comes up with a decent punishment by sending him a professional pool player nicknamed Classic. The bandit will have to fight with a virtuoso who prefers to play for large sums in order to save money.

Who’s in it. Classic stars Sergey Nikonenko as Gorsky, Aleksey Guskov as Yuri, Juozas Budraitis as Savitsky and Lydia Velezheva as Lilya, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.7/10, Classic has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Classic page.

If you liked it. Fans of Classic tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.